Global and China Low-E Glass Industry Report, 2014-2017

Low-emissivity glass (low-E glass) is a type of energy-saving glass with low rate of thermal radiation, high heat-resistance performance, good light- and thermal-control abilities, mainly used in building, electronics, automobile and other fields.

Influenced by positive factors such as technological improvement, energy conservation and emission reduction, China's low-e glass production rose from 6 million square meters in 2005 to 134 million square meters in 2013 at a CAGR of roughly 47%, and is expected to further increase to 152 million square meters in 2014.

Although low-e glass can realize large-scale production in China, yet its penetration rate is only around 11%, still lagging behind Germany, South Korea, the United States and other developed countries (mostly over 80%), leaving large room for growth. It is expected that China's demand for low-e glass will increase at a CAGR of 23.5% or so during the period 2014-2017.

The Chinese mainland low-e glass industry was highly concentrated prior to 2009: six big enterprises including CSG Holding Co., Ltd., Taiwan Glass Group and Shanghai Yaohua Pilkington Glass Group Co., Ltd. (SYP Group) accounted for a combined 70 percent of total capacity. However, with the increasing number of enterprises involved, the industry concentration began to decline: the proportion occupied by the top 6 enterprises there was merely 47.4% in 2014. Currently, key industry players in China are actively continuing with their capacity expansion to enhance competitiveness.

Taiwan Glass Group invested USD240 million in the construction of a low-e glass factory in Shenyang in September 2013. The project is to be finished in two phases, of which, the first phase concerns a low-e laminated glass production line and two low-e vacuum glass production lines expected to be completed and put into production by the end of 2015.

CSG Holding has 5 low-e glass production bases respectively in Tianjin, Dongguan, Wujiang, Xianning and Chengdu. In 2014, production bases in Xianning and Wujiang each saw additional capacities of 3 million square meters per year and 1.2 million square meters per year. The company's low-e glass capacity thus far has been 30.6 million square meters per year.